Golf Club Technology Has Changed The Industry
Golf club makers today use a process that is a far cry from that employed by Scottish craftsmen in centuries past. Modern clubs are made of titanium, aluminium, steel and other man-made materials, in a system that extends from massive foundries to the workbenches of equipment inspectors. Because golf club technology has changed the industry, individuals shaping wood, one club at a time, are usually nowhere to be found.

Some of the first golfers, those Scottish gentleman farmers who invented the game, made their own clubs. In some cases, these men employed bow makers and other craftsmen to fashion individual clubs from local woods. As scientific progress uncovered secrets to stronger materials, early club makers began to put iron heads on wood shafts, so the club would stand up to the repeated striking of a round stone or the more primitive golf balls.

Because the first golf balls were made by stuffing a leather casing with feathers, almost any wood was suitable for use in a golf club. But as golf balls progressed to the much-harder gutta percha and then to today's almost indestructible plastics, it became necessary to use the hardest of woods, such as hickory and persimmon. Some of these woods were brought to Scotland and England from the United States, an early version of the worldwide industry that golf has become.

The detailed history of changes in club design covers hundreds of pages, progressing from general guidelines to specific rules about club construction found in the manuals of the Royal & Ancient (which takes its name from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews) and the United States Golf Association. Suffice to say that golf club technology has changed the industry and new man-made materials have spawned a billion dollar golf equipment industry
A directory of industry participants today includes dozens of club manufacturers, shoe and clothing makers, golf ball manufacturers, turf equipment companies, seed companies…the list goes on and on. Somewhere in all of this, the golfer will find suppliers of everything a player needs and some items that may not be essential but are on the wish list of golf fanatics.

Golf professionals, and top amateurs, usually work with a representative of one of the few major golf equipment manufacturers, fine-tuning clubs, golf balls and other items as much as possible to fit individual needs. Aside from the obvious differences in materials, these accomplished golfers still work closely with craftsmen in a process similar to that employed 300 years ago. Amateurs however, such as the millions of weekend warriors who love the game, purchase their clubs, balls, shoes and other accessories at retail sporting goods stores, or often seek out wholesale suppliers at golf outlets and large-scale retailers. The primary reason – these merchants offer very attractive prices on name-brand equipment.

A quick search in the telephone directory or on the World Wide Web will reveal thousands of sources for low-cost, high-quality golf clubs, balls, shoes etc. In fact, these outlets advertise nationwide, though they often have an address in western Michigan, Pennsylvania or northern California. Certainly, golf club technology has changed the industry; not only in the way golf equipment is made but also in the way equipment is purchased. Most of the suppliers will ship any item anywhere in the world, a fact that opens the entire retail/wholesale golf industry to a player anywhere on the globe.